For a competition with more depth to it I'd love to see the following included along with a further 8 teams

Australia
Australia B
Australia Aborigines
New Zealand
New Zealand B ??? -
New Zealand Maoris
England
England B

I don't agree with the comments about declaring your allegiance to a country. I think thst we need to promote our international game as much as we can and making the smaller nations stronger and therefore more competitive during our flagship competition can only be good for the game. Putting in for instance a 1 year cooling off period where you can't revert back to a major test playing nation could be an option but I believe would stop some quality players from deciding to participate.

The main example is James Tedesco.in my opinion this man is the best full back in the world, 2nd best at worst. Is the competition better for his decision to play for Italy after he wasn't included in the Australia squad?? I believe it is. More than likely he will be the Australia test fullback from next season. So more than likely he would have decided not to participate if a penalty or a sanction would follow.

Our own Ben Currie could have been another example. Certainly an asset to the world cup. If not included in the England squad then Ireland beckons. However, next year if he shows his 2016 form again he will more than likely start for England. So if he were to be penalised for representing Ireland would he choose to still play for Ireland or sit out the world cup in the hope of England selection next year.

I don't think our international game is big enough or strong enough to exclude any quality players in this tournament

Just my thoughts

awwww shucks, s a m

No Wigan paranoia from me.
If people don't realise that the omission of TomkinsJ and Farrell (both rampaging runners) and Burgess (scores tries for fun) smell a little, then that's their funeral. TomkinsS, I grant you, hasn't had the best of seasons, but STILL is one of the few English players that possess the " X-factor" and is worth a squad place. Did Monkey Man and the Wigan board request their non selection? I wouldn't put it past them.

As for the selection of McGinty all those years ago.. The world's great minds are still scratching their heads. In those days, if you were British and played for Wigan, you got a GB jersey, regardless of form/quality /reputation.

See. No paranoia. Just looking at the situation, level headed.

I'm not going to question Bennett.
He has a squad that he feels is the best he can muster to topple Aus.
It says to me one thing, if you're the skinnier, smaller, weaker of your position...you aren't going to feature.....the golden rule applies...a big good un, always beats a small good un....so no place for Burgess or Tompkins.

Burgess and Shaul maybe should have gone but they are not head and shoulders above who have gone more an equivalent replacement so I don't think their omissions will affect the result.


After we beat nz in the test series a few years back under macnamara I was hopefully of a good four nations showing and maybe a surprise at the World Cup we had a team that looked promising and young players looking to break into the team. I believed at the time Roby and sol's time in the England gb setup was numbered sol is still in it and Roby has been recalled! Maybe on merit but it's a concern that in this time nobody has come along and knocked them out of the team.